[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 176 (Wednesday, December 7, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H7306-H7310]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1445
        TO RESEARCH, EVALUATE, ASSESS, AND TREAT ASTRONAUTS ACT

  Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 6076) to require the Administrator of the National Aeronautics 
and Space Administration to establish a program for the medical 
monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment of astronauts, and for other 
purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 6076

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``To Research, Evaluate, 
     Assess, and Treat Astronauts Act'' or the ``TREAT Astronauts 
     Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

       (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) Human space exploration can pose significant challenges 
     and is full of substantial risk, which has ultimately claimed 
     the lives of 24 National Aeronautics and Space Administration 
     astronauts serving in the line of duty.
       (2) As United States government astronauts participate in 
     long-duration and exploration spaceflight missions they may 
     experience increased health risks, such as vision impairment, 
     bone demineralization, and behavioral health and performance 
     risks, and may be exposed to galactic cosmic radiation. 
     Exposure to high levels of radiation and microgravity can 
     result in acute and long-term health consequences that can 
     increase the risk of cancer and tissue degeneration and have 
     potential effects on the musculoskeletal system, central 
     nervous system, cardiovascular system, immune function, and 
     vision.
       (3) To advance the goal of long-duration and exploration 
     spaceflight missions, United States government astronaut 
     Scott Kelly participated in a one-year twins study in space 
     while his identical twin brother, former United States 
     government astronaut Mark Kelly, acted as a human control 
     specimen on Earth, providing an understanding of the 
     physical, behavioral, microbiological, and molecular reaction 
     of the human body to an extended period of time in space.
       (4) Since the Administration currently provides medical 
     monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment for United States 
     government astronauts during their active employment, given 
     the unknown long-term health consequences of long-duration 
     space exploration, the Administration has requested statutory 
     authority from Congress to provide medical monitoring, 
     diagnosis, and treatment to former United States government 
     astronauts for psychological and medical conditions 
     associated with human space flight.
       (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) the United States should continue to seek the unknown 
     and lead the world in space exploration and scientific 
     discovery as the Administration prepares for long-duration 
     and exploration spaceflight in deep space and an eventual 
     mission to Mars;
       (2) data relating to the health of astronauts will become 
     increasingly valuable to improving our understanding of many 
     diseases humans face on Earth;
       (3) the Administration should provide the type of 
     monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment described in subsection 
     (a) only for conditions the Administration considers unique 
     to the training or exposure to the spaceflight environment of 
     United States government astronauts and should not require 
     any former United States government astronauts to participate 
     in the Administration's monitoring;
       (4) such monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment should not 
     replace a former United States government astronaut's private 
     health insurance;
       (5) expanded data acquired from such monitoring, diagnosis, 
     and treatment should be used to tailor treatment, inform the 
     requirements for new spaceflight medical hardware, and 
     develop controls in order to prevent disease occurrence in 
     the astronaut corps; and
       (6) the 340-day space mission of Scott Kelly aboard the 
     ISS--
       (A) was pivotal for the goal of the United States for 
     humans to explore deep space and Mars as the mission 
     generated new insight into how the human body adjusts to 
     weightlessness, isolation, radiation, and the stress of long-
     duration space flight; and
       (B) will help support the physical and mental well-being of 
     astronauts during longer space exploration missions in the 
     future.

     SEC. 3. MEDICAL MONITORING AND RESEARCH RELATING TO HUMAN 
                   SPACE FLIGHT.

       (a) In General.--Subchapter III of chapter 201 of title 51, 
     United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
     following:

     ``Sec. 20148. Medical monitoring and research relating to 
       human space flight

       ``(a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
     law, the Administrator may provide for the medical monitoring 
     and diagnosis of a former United States government astronaut 
     or a former payload specialist for conditions that the 
     Administrator considers potentially associated with human 
     space flight, and may provide for the treatment of a former 
     United States government astronaut or a former payload 
     specialist for conditions that the Administrator considers

[[Page H7307]]

     associated with human space flight, including scientific and 
     medical tests for psychological and medical conditions.
       ``(b) Requirements.--
       ``(1) No cost sharing.--The medical monitoring, diagnosis, 
     or treatment described in subsection (a) shall be provided 
     without any deductible, copayment, or other cost sharing 
     obligation.
       ``(2) Access to local services.--The medical monitoring, 
     diagnosis, and treatment described in subsection (a) may be 
     provided by a local health care provider if it is unadvisable 
     due to the health of the applicable former United States 
     government astronaut or former payload specialist for that 
     former United States government astronaut or former payload 
     specialist to travel to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 
     as determined by the Administrator.
       ``(3) Secondary payment.--Payment or reimbursement for the 
     medical monitoring, diagnosis, or treatment described in 
     subsection (a) shall be secondary to any obligation of the 
     United States government or any third party under any other 
     provision of law or contractual agreement to pay for or 
     provide such medical monitoring, diagnosis, or treatment. Any 
     costs for items and services that may be provided by the 
     Administrator for medical monitoring, diagnosis, or treatment 
     under subsection (a) that are not paid for or provided under 
     such other provision of law or contractual agreement, due to 
     the application of deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, 
     other cost sharing, or otherwise, are reimbursable by the 
     Administrator on behalf of the former United States 
     government astronaut or former payload specialist involved to 
     the extent such items or services are authorized to be 
     provided by the Administrator for such medical monitoring, 
     diagnosis, or treatment under subsection (a).
       ``(4) Conditional payment.--The Administrator may provide 
     for conditional payments for or provide medical monitoring, 
     diagnosis, or treatment described in subsection (a) that is 
     obligated to be paid for or provided by the United States or 
     any third party under any other provision of law or 
     contractual agreement to pay for or provide such medical 
     monitoring, diagnosis, or treatment if--
       ``(A) payment for (or the provision of) such medical 
     monitoring, diagnosis, or treatment services has not been 
     made (or provided) or cannot reasonably be expected to be 
     made (or provided) promptly by the United States or such 
     third party, respectively; and
       ``(B) such payment (or such provision of services) by the 
     Administrator is conditioned on reimbursement by the United 
     States or such third party, respectively, for such medical 
     monitoring, diagnosis, or treatment.
       ``(c) Exclusions.--The Administrator may not--
       ``(1) provide for medical monitoring or diagnosis of a 
     former United States government astronaut or former payload 
     specialist under subsection (a) for any psychological or 
     medical condition that is not potentially associated with 
     human space flight;
       ``(2) provide for treatment of a former United States 
     government astronaut or former payload specialist under 
     subsection (a) for any psychological or medical condition 
     that is not associated with human space flight; or
       ``(3) require a former United States government astronaut 
     or former payload specialist to participate in the medical 
     monitoring, diagnosis, or treatment authorized under 
     subsection (a).
       ``(d) Privacy.--Consistent with applicable provisions of 
     Federal law relating to privacy, the Administrator shall 
     protect the privacy of all medical records generated under 
     subsection (a) and accessible to the Administration.
       ``(e) Regulations.--The Administrator shall promulgate such 
     regulations as are necessary to carry out this section.
       ``(f) Definition of United States Government Astronaut.--In 
     this section, the term `United States government astronaut' 
     has the meaning given the term `government astronaut' in 
     section 50902, except it does not include an individual who 
     is an international partner astronaut.
       ``(g) Data Use and Disclosure.--The Administrator may use 
     or disclose data acquired in the course of medical 
     monitoring, diagnosis, or treatment of a former United States 
     government astronaut or a former payload specialist under 
     subsection (a), in accordance with subsection (d). Former 
     United States government astronaut or former payload 
     specialist participation in medical monitoring, diagnosis, or 
     treatment under subsection (a) shall constitute consent for 
     the Administrator to use or disclose such data.''.
       (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents for chapter 
     201 of title 51, United States Code is amended by inserting 
     after the item relating to section 20147 the following:

``20148. Medical monitoring and research relating to human space 
              flight''.
       (c) Annual Reports.--
       (1) In general.--Each fiscal year, not later than the date 
     of submission of the President's annual budget request for 
     that fiscal year under section 1105 of title 31, United 
     States Code, the Administrator of the National Aeronautics 
     and Space Administration shall publish a report, in 
     accordance with applicable Federal privacy laws, on the 
     activities of the National Aeronautics and Space 
     Administration under section 20148 of title 51, United States 
     Code, as added by subsection (a).
       (2) Contents.--Each report under paragraph (1) shall 
     include a detailed cost accounting of the Administration's 
     activities under such section 20148 of title 51, United 
     States Code, and a 5-year budget estimate.
       (3) Submission to congress.--The Administrator shall submit 
     to the appropriate committees of Congress each report under 
     paragraph (1) not later than the date of submission of the 
     President's annual budget request for that fiscal year under 
     section 1105 of title 31, United States Code.
       (d) Cost Estimate.--
       (1) Requirement.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the National 
     Aeronautics and Space Administration shall enter into an 
     arrangement with an independent external organization to 
     undertake an independent cost estimate of the cost to the 
     National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Federal 
     Government to implement and administer the activities of the 
     National Aeronautics and Space Administration under section 
     20148 of title 51, United States Code, as added by subsection 
     (a). The independent external organization may not be an 
     entity of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 
     such as the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance.
       (2) Submittal to congress.--Not later than one year after 
     the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator 
     shall submit the independent cost estimate undertaken 
     pursuant to paragraph (1) to the Committee on Science, Space, 
     and Technology of the House of Representatives and the 
     Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
     Senate.
       (e) Privacy Study.--
       (1) Study.--The Administrator of the National Aeronautics 
     and Space Administration shall carry out a study on any 
     potential privacy or legal issues related to the possible 
     sharing beyond the Federal Government of data acquired under 
     the activities of the National Aeronautics and Space 
     Administration under section 20148 of title 51, United States 
     Code, as added by subsection (a).
       (2) Report.--Not later than 270 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the 
     Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of 
     Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
     Transportation of the Senate a report containing the results 
     of the study carried out under paragraph (1).
       (f) Inspector General Audit.--The Inspector General of the 
     National Aeronautics and Space Administration shall 
     periodically audit or review, as the Inspector General 
     considers necessary to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse, the 
     activities of the National Aeronautics and Space 
     Administration under section 20148 of title 51, United States 
     Code, as added by subsection (a).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Babin) and the gentlewoman from Maryland (Ms. Edwards) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include extraneous material on H.R. 6076, the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, for over 50 years, the United States of America has 
asked its bravest to travel to space in service of their country. From 
the dynamic launch environment to the unforgiving vacuum of space, to 
the energetic reentry of Earth, human spaceflight places astronauts in 
challenging environments. Even training for spaceflight carries 
significant risks. I am very proud to say that I represent a great 
number of these astronauts who call Houston their home.
  As a nation, we have an obligation to those whom we put in harm's 
way. As a Congress, we have a responsibility to provide for the 
treatment of conditions caused by Federal service. As a healthcare 
professional myself, and as their Representative, you can say it is my 
duty to make sure that these folks are taken care of properly. This is 
why I have sponsored H.R. 6076, the TREAT Astronauts Act, a very 
commonsense, fiscally responsible, bipartisan bill that makes sure that 
our brave men and women who venture into space receive the support for 
medical issues associated with their service.
  The psychological and medical data associated with an astronaut's 
human spaceflight service is very important for our future space 
endeavors. The TREAT Astronauts Act will provide this additional data 
and will enable NASA to better understand the medical risks of 
spaceflight, minimize

[[Page H7308]]

these risks, and enable future long-duration missions to Mars and even 
beyond.
  I am very thankful to Chairman Lamar Smith for his support of the 
TREAT Astronauts Act and for his leadership as chairman of the Science, 
Space, and Technology Committee. I am also very glad that my colleague, 
Ms. Edwards, is an original cosponsor and that the bill was reported 
out of committee by a voice vote with broad bipartisan support.
  The amendment before us today represents compromise language agreed 
upon with the Senate in good faith that this language will be included 
and passed in a NASA Authorization Act before the 114th Congress 
recesses. The program established under this compromise language is 
very similar to the program that passed out of the committee.
  In developing this bill, my staff and I had extensive discussions 
with former astronauts, NASA, and a number of other Federal agencies. 
The TREAT Astronauts Act is also informed by a hearing the Space 
Subcommittee held back in June, at which a number of former astronauts 
testified, including Captain Scott Kelly, who spent a year on the 
International Space Station.
  Under existing statutes, NASA has the authority to collect voluntary 
astronaut medical data for research. It exercises that authority 
through the Lifetime Surveillance of Astronaut Health program, or LSAH. 
However, there are limitations on the usefulness of the LSAH program. 
Former astronaut participation is only 61 percent and the existing LSAH 
program only affords NASA access to yearly checkup data, not the 
entirety of the former astronauts' medical records.
  Furthermore, NASA is unable to provide for the appropriate diagnosis 
and treatment under the existing authority to conduct research. The 
TREAT Astronauts Act solves this problem by supplementing existing 
authorities.
  Congress would be remiss not to ensure that the TREAT Astronauts Act 
is fiscally responsible. The TREAT Astronauts Act is not a mandate and 
is subject to existing discretionary appropriations.
  In order to address cost risks, the bill establishes NASA as a 
secondary payer to existing obligations of the United States or third 
parties, ensuring that the cost to NASA is minimal. Establishing NASA 
as a secondary payer is not unprecedented. For example, the Department 
of Defense is a secondary payer to veteran and civilian healthcare 
programs.
  Allow me to make this clear for the record. Although NASA is a 
secondary payer, the TREAT Astronauts Act provides that no 
participating former astronaut or payload specialist will have to pay 
for anything out of pocket, including deductibles and copayments 
associated with the primary payer.
  There are a number of reporting requirements, including an 
independent cost estimate and an annual fiscal report. These reports 
will ensure that Congress is well informed and able to conduct 
appropriate oversight.
  Participation in the program is voluntary. No astronaut should be 
forced or coerced to participate in this program. In the event that an 
astronaut chooses not to participate in the program, there are still 
other occupational healthcare options available to them. But if they do 
participate, the astronauts have consented that NASA can use and 
disclose the data they collect, subject to protecting their personally 
identifiable health information.
  In conclusion, I strongly support the TREAT Astronauts Act, and I 
urge my colleagues to support this commonsense, fiscally responsible, 
bipartisan bill that makes sure that our brave men and women who 
venture into space receive the support for medical issues associated 
with their service.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6076, as amended, the TREAT 
Astronauts Act.
  The House-passed, bipartisan NASA Authorization Act of 2015 set the 
long-term goal of sending humans to the surface of Mars. The amendments 
to the TREAT Astronauts Act being considered today will help provide 
the research results needed to achieve this goal. As Chairman Babin 
noted, the amendment reflects compromise language agreed upon with the 
Senate in good faith.
  Committee Ranking Member Johnson and I thank Space Subcommittee 
Chairman Babin and his staff for working together to achieve bipartisan 
and bicameral consensus on this amendment.
  Chairman Babin and I both want to do the right thing for the health 
of our current and future astronauts. That is why I was pleased to be a 
cosponsor of this act to provide for monitoring, diagnosis, and 
treatment of former astronauts.
  Our astronauts are heroes. They serve this Nation in the face of 
extreme risks. Some of those risks involve the potential for medical 
conditions that may not reveal themselves for years or even decades 
after an astronaut's service.
  It is our responsibility to ensure that we, as a nation, acknowledge 
the risks that these heroes have taken and, in return, provide our 
astronauts with the medical monitoring and treatment they need.
  It is also our responsibility to mitigate the risks for future NASA 
explorers, especially as we put in place the systems and missions to 
prepare the way for human exploration to Mars. Such risk mitigation 
requires data about astronauts' mental and psychological health.

  H.R. 6076, as amended, maintains the three principles I identified as 
critical to this legislation in the original bill.
  The first principle is getting care to former astronauts under this 
program as soon as possible. NASA has indicated that some former 
astronauts could already benefit from this new authority.
  As Chairman Babin noted, this bill provides NASA with supplementary 
authority. As such, I would expect that monitoring provided by NASA's 
Lifetime Surveillance of Astronaut Health program will continue to be 
made available to any former astronaut or payload specialist electing 
not to participate in the program being established by this 
legislation.
  The second principle is being respectful of astronaut rights and 
privacy. As we expand the amount of data collected on former astronaut 
health, it is important that we place a priority on ensuring the 
privacy of the data. NASA is tasked to report on how the agency will 
ensure the privacy of astronauts in the program when data is shared 
beyond the Federal Government.
  The third principle is ensuring that the program is in sync with the 
goal of sending humans to Mars. Expanded data acquired from the 
monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment of former astronauts and former 
shuttle payload specialists will be invaluable for informing the 
requirements for new spaceflight medical hardware and developing 
controls to prevent disease occurrence in the astronaut corps.
  Mr. Speaker, it is also my hope that Congress and the administration 
will enable NASA to get to Mars sooner rather than later. As part of 
that effort, we must establish the safeguards that will get our 
astronauts there and back safely. Supporting this bill will allow us to 
stay on that vector.
  I ask my colleagues to support the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. Smith), the chairman of the full committee.
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Texas, the 
author of this bill, for yielding. I also want to say that Congressman 
Brian Babin is an excellent chairman of the Space Subcommittee of the 
full Science, Space, and Technology Committee.
  Mr. Speaker, since NASA selected the first group of astronauts in 
1959, more than 300 brave American astronauts have ventured into the 
cosmos as explorers. In an age when spaceflight has come to seem almost 
routine, it is easy to overlook how dangerous it is and how little we 
know about its long-term health effects.
  H.R. 6076, the TREAT Astronauts Act, ensures that our courageous men 
and women who venture into space receive support for medical issues 
associated with their service.
  The TREAT Astronauts Act also will help us better understand the 
medical science of human spaceflight, enabling

[[Page H7309]]

next generation of explorers to literally go where no man has gone 
before. I should say where no man or woman has gone before.
  The TREAT Astronauts Act builds upon NASA's existing Lifetime 
Surveillance of Astronaut Health program and will operate within 
existing NASA resources. It provides for enhanced monitoring, 
diagnosis, and treatment of conditions associated with spaceflight 
service.
  I thank Space Subcommittee Chairman Brian Babin again for introducing 
this legislation and for his persistence in getting us to the point of 
passage. We wouldn't be here today without him.
  I urge my colleagues to support the TREAT Astronauts Act.
  Before I conclude, Mr. Speaker, I would just like to take a moment to 
thank the gentlewoman from Maryland (Ms. Edwards), who is a friend and 
has been the ranking member of the Space Subcommittee for the last 2 
years, for her outstanding service to Congress and for being a 
wonderful contributor to the Science Committee as a whole, and in 
particular the Space Subcommittee. To almost any subject, she always 
brings enthusiasm, knowledge, and in this case, an almost unequal 
dedication to space exploration, which we will continue to appreciate 
both now and in the future. I just thank her again for, as I said, her 
many contributions to the committee and the subcommittee and say that I 
hope she stays in touch with us. She will always be a friend of the 
committee and many members of this side of the aisle.
  Ms. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, I want to share with Chairman Smith that I 
am so grateful for his remarks today on the floor. He beat me to the 
punch, but it has been a pleasure both to work on the committee since 
the beginning of my time here in the Congress. It is the most fun I 
think that I have ever had, and I have truly enjoyed the collegial 
working relationship and friendship that we have shared on both sides 
of the aisle.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman 
from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) the ranking member of the 
Science, Space, and Technology Committee.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of 
H.R. 6076, as amended, To Research, Evaluate, Assess, and Treat 
Astronauts Act, or the TREAT Astronauts Act.
  Long-duration exposure to microgravity and space radiation can lead 
to chronic health effects such as muscle atrophy, bone loss, permanent 
vision impairment, and cancer. However, there is much we still need to 
understand regarding how the space environment relates to these effects 
and other critical biological functions, such as immunity and tissue 
healing, so that appropriate countermeasures can be developed.

                              {time}  1500

  This bill, as amended, would provide NASA with the statutory 
authority to perform monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment for former 
astronauts for medical or psychological conditions associated with 
human spaceflight.
  Through this authorization, NASA would be able to acquire data from a 
larger set of participants, and the data acquired on former astronauts 
would be more comprehensive.
  This bill, as amended, reflects several changes that strengthen and 
improve the bipartisan bill that passed out of committee in September. 
In particular, the provision that would sunset the monitoring, 
diagnosis, and treatment program for former astronauts after 10 years 
has been removed.
  In addition, the current version of the bill removes a provision that 
would have denied a fiscal year's authorization of appropriations for 
the program if NASA did not submit an annual report on time.
  Mr. Speaker, NASA's astronauts are some of the most accomplished, 
highly trained, and courageous individuals who serve our Nation in the 
pursuit of furthering our exploration of outer space. We owe them a 
debt of gratitude for their willingness to risk their health and their 
lives in the furtherance of space exploration. I would urge all of the 
House Members to vote for and pass H.R. 6076, as amended.
  I too want to join the chairman to express my appreciation and thanks 
for the services of Congresswoman Donna Edwards for her leadership in 
bringing this measure to this point and to her overall leadership as 
subcommittee ranking member of the Space Subcommittee. She has made 
many efforts, has led the committee with much understanding, and we 
certainly will miss her.
  Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Ms. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope that my colleagues will join us in this 
bipartisan effort to make sure that we can get signed into law the 
TREAT Act for our current, former, and future astronauts.
  I would like to close by expressing my gratitude to Chairman Lamar 
Smith, to Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson, and to our Subcommittee 
Chair Babin for their graciousness and for their leadership. It has 
truly been a joy to work on the Science, Space, and Technology 
Committee. It is one of the few places in the United States House of 
Representatives where our charge is really to think about the future, 
and it is in this spirit that this legislation is in front of us today.
  I hadn't anticipated, Mr. Speaker, that I would have a moment on the 
floor of the House, my last moment on the floor of the House before I 
depart my service to the United States House of Representatives, but I 
am grateful for that.
  As I reflect on the last 8\1/2\ years, it has really been a pleasure, 
particularly, to work on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, 
and to do that in what seems like a contentious environment sometimes 
but has been a lot of collegiality.
  As I close my service in the Congress, I am, Mr. Speaker, reminded 
that, as a little girl, I used to picnic with my father and my mother 
and my siblings on the west front of the Capitol. My dad was in his Air 
Force uniform, prepared to go back to work after we had had our little 
picnic.
  As little girls, we would run around to the east front of the 
Capitol, Mr. Speaker, and climb the steps, when you could climb the 
steps. And we would sit there in between my father and look out on the 
United States Supreme Court and the Library of Congress.
  I never would have imagined, Mr. Speaker, that I would have an 
opportunity to serve in the House of Representatives; and it has been a 
great privilege and a joy to represent the people of the Fourth 
Congressional District of Maryland.
  I wish for my colleagues here in the Congress that, as we approach 
the 115th Congress, and in the spirit of service to this great Nation, 
that we work together in service to the Nation.
  When we come to work every day, Mr. Speaker, people think about 
things that are big and small; but for a lot of people out there, a lot 
of our constituents, it is about their health and their life, their 
safety and their security, the ability of them to raise their children, 
and to move forward. And I wish that, in the upcoming Congress, that we 
have an opportunity to do those things together, and that you do.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the staff of the Science, Space, 
and Technology Committee, and the Space Subcommittee, Allen Li, Pam 
Whitney, Dick Obermann; Anne Nelson on the minority staff, and the 
majority staff for all of their work; to the people who serve in this 
institution and serve us tremendously, from the Parliamentarians to the 
stenographers and the Clerk's staff, and the Marshals Service and the 
Capitol Police, and all of it, because it makes the trains run, and it 
means that we can get the job done of the people of the United States.
  God bless the United States of America.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, once again, I would like to thank our full 
committee chairman, Lamar Smith; our ranking subcommittee member, Ms. 
Edwards from Maryland; and also our ranking member of the full 
committee, Eddie Bernice Johnson from Texas as well.
  I would also like to thank my staff and the staff of the full 
committee, as well as the subcommittee, who have worked so hard to make 
this bill happen. It was so badly needed for our astronauts.
  Mr. Speaker, I include a letter from the American Association of 
Space Explorers into the Record. This is signed

[[Page H7310]]

by the president of the American Association of Space Explorers, 
astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria.

                                              Association of Space


                                               Explorers--USA,

                                     Webster, TX, 7 December 2016.
     Hon. Brian Babin,
     Chair, Subcommittee on Space, House Committee on Science, 
         Space and Technology, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Babin: I am writing on behalf of the U.S. 
     chapter of the international Association of Space Explorers 
     (ASE-USA) to strongly endorse H.R. 6076, the ``To Research, 
     Evaluate, Assess, and Treat Astronauts'' (TREAT) Act, that is 
     under consideration by the House of Representatives.
       Our organization counts over 210 American current and 
     former flown astronauts as its members. Our mission is to 
     provide a forum for professional dialogue among individuals 
     who have flown in space, to promote education in science and 
     mathematics and inspire in students a lifelong commitment to 
     learning, to foster environmental awareness and encourage 
     planetary stewardship, to promote the benefits of space 
     science and exploration and to advocate for international 
     cooperation and operational compatibility in current and 
     future space exploration endeavors.
       We in the astronaut community applaud your Committee for 
     recognizing the risks inherent in traveling to and exploring 
     space, and for ensuring that the men and women who do so on 
     behalf of our nation receive support for medical issues 
     associated with their service.
       I urge the House to pass the TREAT Act so that my 
     colleagues and future generations of Americans can continue 
     to explore and expand the frontiers of space and human 
     knowledge, and can return home to Earth suitably protected 
     from the potential medical consequences of those endeavors on 
     behalf of the United States.
           Sincerely,
                                            Michael Lopez-Alegria,
                                                        President.

  Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Duncan of Tennessee). The question is on 
the motion offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin) that the 
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 6076, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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